In Marketing

From a Spark to a Flame

"Why doesn't Nottingham make more of its world famous Robin Hood legacy? That's the million dollar question that gets asked 24/7, all year round by residents, visitors, students and the media. It casts a dark shadow of doubt over the credibility of the City's "creative" claims and seemingly sends chills through the local marketing profession who appear to run for cover! It "drives a tram" (a Nottingham one of course!) straight through the City's creative reputation and somewhat undermines the many positive achievements in the wider creative field, ranging from ground-breaking medical research to Jake Bugg's musical success!

It's Not Just A Question of Money - A Change of Attitude is Required

As the dust settles on the recent disappointing announcement that the visionary proposals for Nottingham Castle had received a temporary setback from its unsuccessful bid to secure Heritage Lottery Funding – then, once again, the City has to face up to the constantly embarrassing fact that a 60 year old statue remains its predominant Robin Hood visitor attraction! A fact that to external commentators, marketing professionals and commercial investors - completely beggars belief!

"Why Robin Hood and Manchester United Have A Similar Problem!"

Although Robin Hood and Manchester United appear to have little in common, they are both world famous icons in their own right and, ironically, they both share the same basic problem of how to get the maximum potential benefit from their respective huge global fan bases.

Warts and All!

It's a globally known fact that Nottingham and Notts are traditionally and inseparably linked to the Robin Hood legend. Whether we like it or not, our City and County haven't any real choice in the matter. There are no "opt-outs" for the local authorities on the issue and they cannot "cherry-pick" the mixed blessings that the historical associations bring. They have to accept the world-famous links at face value, "warts and all" – the good, the bad and the downright ugly – and the archives are full of examples covering all three of these categories!